How many times do you edit a draft before you leave it? The Editing Process.

[Kallisto]

I tend to push to finish the first draft, get it all down, and then I go on this rambling journey of countless subsequent drafts, that get abandoned and new draft started, every time I decide to change something retrospectively. It is done once I no longer feel like something is really not working and needs sorting out. But a degree of “this should somehow be better” will likely always remain for some things. There is definitely such a thing as over-editing, though.

Thanks for bringing up "over editing." This is definitely a thing and can happen when a person receives too much feedback and too many opinions from others.

 

[jazzabel]

Thanks for bringing up "over editing." This is definitely a thing and can happen when a person receives too much feedback and too many opinions from others.

For sure, and also, at least for me, due to all the advice of how to get your story published, which can be conflicting and dominated by business concerns of the publishers, leading to constant second guessing and feeling like whatever we have can’t be good enough. I ended up putting back so many things from my first draft into the later drafts, because it was perfectly fine and it had life that later drafts I pedantically polished, had lost.

 

[THUNDAIR]

Over editing can cost you your voice. I have done a few beta reads and was shocked when the author used the paragraph in his story. It wasn't in his voice; it was just a suggestion from my perspective. ProWritingAid has a sentence suggestion feature, and the same would apply if you used those suggestions. It's not in your voice; write your own $hite and own it.

 

[Proof Queen]

For me, editing shifts a little with each pass. Early drafts are where I’m open to moving scenes around, tightening character arcs, or smoothing out pacing. Later drafts become more about clarity, voice, and smaller fixes. By the time I’m on the last pass, it’s usually grammar, rhythm, and those tiny details that make the story feel clean.


Every writer’s process is different, though. Some need two drafts, some need ten. What matters is that the story feels true to you when you close that file.


Has this book gone through beta reading yet? Sometimes fresh eyes can show you things you might’ve missed after living in the story so long.

I'm on my fifth draft now for the first book of my main series. I've been adding, refining, fixing, and changing things in every pass, but I hope that draft five will be the one to leave as completed. Because I feel ready to leave it as I want to continue with book two soon.

For short stories, I usually do two to four drafts before I consider one somewhat done.

How do you edit your drafts? Do you change things in a draft or do you only fix small mistakes and make corrections? How many drafts do you usually do for a story before you consider them completed?

 

[Madman Starryteller]

Has this book gone through beta reading yet? Sometimes fresh eyes can show you things you might’ve missed after living in the story so long.

A friend and my mother have read it. Got some feedback from both. But it has not faced the stranger test yet.

 

[JT Woody]

I just sent my final draft (self edits) to a professional copyeditor. I know it will take some time before i get it back, but im already dreading it!

 

[Proof Queen]

A friend and my mother have read it. Got some feedback from both. But it has not faced the stranger test yet.

Sounds like you’ve gotten some solid first impressions already

If you’re open to a fresh pair of eyes, I’d be happy to beta read for you.

 

[Madman Starryteller]

Sounds like you’ve gotten some solid first impressions already

If you’re open to a fresh pair of eyes, I’d be happy to beta read for you.

That's very nice of you. I will keep that in mind for when draft 5 is done.

 

[Proof Queen]

That's very nice of you. I will keep that in mind for when draft 5 is done.

Alright! Looking forward to hearing from you